Aggression?

[Jolenels]

The last two days when we have stuck our hands in Dora's tank she lunges like we are food. She gets fed at the same time every day, and always in a certain order, log out (where the crickets will hide) and hut up so she is awake and aware what is going on. We try to hold her at least five or more hours BEFORE she eats since she eats at bedtime and then we go to sleep. It has just been the last two days, since she shed roughly, that she has lunged at fingers.....and it makes me nervous. I have a toddler who has been BEGGING to hand feed her the meal worms but I won't let her in case Dora bites her. And does a gecko bite hurt? She was so mellow before! I'm hoping she settles down again, makes me nervous when I reach in to grab her water dish to refill it and she strikes at my hands!

 

[Geckomaster743]

Dont hand feed. Its better that they learn to hunt and not be handed food, Trust me they will get really lazy and then eventually stop eating. The bites dont hurt, Though they do have teeth and i actually didnt know they had teeth until Thesus died. Her mouth was like glued shut and i saw her teeth like sinking in to her gums. But yeah, Your gecko will get hyper and BEYOND exicted for food. Though they are good once they are out just becareful when geting them out of there cage because these lizards tend to Jump in a suicidal mannor so dont keep them near High places and always have two hands keeping the gecko secure.

 

[Ruby]

Leopard geckos...have teeth?

 

[Caleb C]

It's probably just a phase, most babies don't tolerate handling anyway.
4-5 hours or minutes before she eats?
Gecko bites don't hurt, but if they bite you, chances are, your hands shouldn't go in for some time.
Get forceps! you don't have to touch the feeder insects, and they start to realize that it's feeding time when they see the forceps.
I didn't know that leo's had teeth either, Ruby, haha, but I just googled it and I guess they do. I've seen mine yawn dozens of times, and have yet to see their teeth.

 

[maverickgrl79]

my boy Neville was hand fed before i got him and now he is a lazy butt and will not eat anything that runs from him lol. i also found that just like my snakes i have been feeding the Leos in a separate container and that took care of the feeding day pissiness lol.

 

[Geckomaster743]

Hahaha Yeah i didn't know they had teeth either because i see them Yawn. But achillies is fully grown and i notice them now and well Thesus was in horrible in condition for them not to be retracted.

 

[tgolden]

I feed all my lizards in a big plastic bin. You gecko has learned your hand means food. hand = food....bite yum lol

 

[Jolenels]

We havent hand fed but I used to occasionally hand feed my salamanders and I thought maybe one go of it wouldn't hurt. I may have to look into a seperate feeding area. She has always liked to lick my hands, but this lunging is new....and it hasn't stopped since I posted.

And 4-5 hours before she eats Caleb We try to space out handling and feeding so she doesn't cross the two. Its not working haha

 

[Caleb C]

That's way too much handling, haha.
Get forceps, you won't have to move her around, which will cause more stress if she's already acting cranky.
Bring her out for a maximum of 20 minutes a day. I honestly don't bring them out at all until they get to around 6 inches/juvenile size.
Babies are born with natural instincts, and giant people touching them will scare them, possibly leading to a tail drop. Once they get bigger and realize that you aren't a threat, they usually learn to tolerate you.

 

[Jolenels]

oh we dont hold her for that long! lol we handle her for like, five minutes at a time, just 5 hours before she is fed!

 

[Jolenels]

and she's great once she is in a hand, she walks calm, she often just sits still, if you cup your hand over her she will fall asleep....there isn't any agression once she is out, just while you are feeding

 

[Caleb C]

Oh, haha, I thought she was out for 5 hours a day, lol.
My juvenile will sleep if she finds a suitable place to hide, but runs around once she's awake.

 

[Jolenels]

Dora twitches her tail right before she lunges, I read that's normal. But tonight her tail was straight up almost and huge swishes....back and forth! It was neat looking, and I've never seen her show that much exhuberance while hunting before She also didn't immediatley retreat back to her hut once all the food was gone, but instead paraded around doing the tail thing for almost ten minutes!

 

[Jolenels]

okay so I looked up the slow tail movement and it said that its Dora being either territorial or being afraid and trying to make herself bigger. Or females do it to let a male know they aren't interested. There was nothing in the tank but her! She was done eating. I was sitting a ways away, so it wasn't like I was looming around above her. And I had switched off the day light and on the night light. Another sign of aggression? Grrrrrrreat.

 

[Geckomaster743]

Yeah, Sounds like shes acting like Neo my gecko. He was REALLY REALLY friendly last month but recently he dashes and shakes his tail really fast or really slow which means that your gecko's trying to defend it self which is not a good sign. Maybe no handling from the next 2 days or attempts. And then allow her to be able to touch your hand with out having her run away. And then move up to picking her up again. Remember dont stress her, That tail will drop and you will feel really bad :/

 

[Caleb C]

Let her rest for the next couple days, just feed her with forceps and don't touch. You can put your hand in the tank, and see what she does in a couple days.

 

[Jolenels]

It's like she has split personalities! I put my hand in the tank to move her hut, because if I don't expose her she doesn't come out to eat. But I actually feed her with a spoon lol. She is eating meal worms at the moment as the pet store had some issue or other with thier crickets and didn't have any. I scoop one up at a time and put them in different areas of the tank so she has to look for them.

We haven't held her in almost five days. I'm really nervous but my spouse (who she loved previously) said he would give her some handling time tomorrow while our daughter and I are out trick or treating. So that there is no pre schooler clamouring to see her and no one to walk by or stand over her.

Today she was stretching herself out as long as possible, her back legs were super straight. And her head was up of course, and tail swishing. Putting her hut back in is a tad nerve racking lol. I've never been bitten by a gecko and I'm not keen to find out what it feels like just quite yet!

 

[Caleb C]

Don't take out the hide, if she's already stressed, she wants a safe place where she won't be bothered. You might want to buy forceps, you can easily pick them up with it, and you can hold it while she comes out to eat. Try offering food when she sticks her head out of the hide, and if she doesn't, give her a couple days so she's not so scared anymore.

 

[Jolenels]

Will she starve herself? She has NEVER come out of the hide for food except once and I forgot a cricket in there, went back in two hours later and noticed the bug...and Dora stalking it. She stayed in her hide for two hours. If I'm not meant to leave food in there, but she won't come out of her hide....how do I feed her??

 

[LeoLover1]

I get bit all the time. I hand feed most of my leos. It doesn't hurt at all, and they seldom break the skin.

I stopped using the forceps as much because of how aggresively some go after the food. I think they must hurt their mouths when they grab that metal.